


More than you know

by ssushiiii



Category: Free!
Genre: EWOATT fic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Eyes wide open all the time - Macbetha, Fluff and Angst, Gang Violence, M/M, Matsuoka Rin Angst, Police Officer Yamazaki Sousuke, ewoatt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-04 11:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16346039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssushiiii/pseuds/ssushiiii
Summary: In celebration of the 1st anniversary Ewoatt (by macbetha) ending, I've written an ewoatt universe fic because I love it so much. (I've read it 4 times and I do not care, it's amazing).Set between ch31(coming home) and ch32 (epilogue).TW: mentions of gang activity/prostitution, basically everything mentioned in ewoatt.Contains spoilers for EWOATT.





	More than you know

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Macbetha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Macbetha/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Eyes Wide Open All the Time](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5768821) by [Macbetha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Macbetha/pseuds/Macbetha). 



It has been over 3 months since Freebird & Co had been pardoned.  
Sousuke had just walked back from his physio appointment, which was a bad idea on his part, he just wanted to sit on the sofa with Rin, Echo and a good ass beer after that appointment. Echo was trotting along in front of him, seemingly without a care in the world, her tail bobbing up and down in rhythm with her steps.

Echo gets to the top of Souske's driveway and suddenly her tail lowers and she stops dead in her tracks, turning back to look at Sousuke.  
She knows something is wrong.  
With a nod from Sousuke she runs to the door and through her little flap.

The dark haired man follows quickly, unlocking the door hurriedly and rushing to find where the Belgian shepherd had gone.

He finds her quickly. She has curled next to a figure wrapped in a blanket in the corner of the sofa.  
It only takes a second for Sousuke to register what's wrong.  
The lights are off, the curtains have been closed and there are used tissues all over the floor and the couch. Not to mention the empty bottle of Vodka on the table next to one that is half full.

"Rin"  
The figure stirs.  
The mop of maroon hair is unkempt and his piercing red eyes are bloodshot. If the signs around the room hadn't been enough to confirm that he's been crying, then one look at the redhead definitely would.

"Oh" Rin looks startled "I didn't hear you come in."  
Echo nudges her nose into Rin's leg, reminding him of her presence. "Hiya girl" he says with a sniff"  
Sousuke raises an eyebrow at his boyfriend, well fiancé. "Explain"  
Rin gives a sarcastic laugh "Do I really need too? It's pretty self-explanatory Sou."

Rin tries to get up from his blanket & tissue nest but before he can get to his feet Echo puts her paw out to stop him.

Sousuke clears the other side of the sofa and sits down. He puts his hand on the side of Rin's face. His teal eyes meet Rin's now bloodshot red.  
"You know whatever it is you can just tell me."

He can see Rin's eyes begin to fill with tears. "Wh... What if its someone... Il.. Illegal"  
"When I'm with you, I'm your fiancé. I'm not going to tat you out Rin. What happens and is said between us, stays between us. You know that"

Tears begin streaming down the redhead's face  
"I feel like I've taken a step backward rather than forward. I've not got any legal employment history, I can't even get any because I didn't even go to high school, never mind finish it. Before all of... that started, after I'd met you, I finally thought I was happy, that I could make it without Miho. But now look at me, Miho is dead and I still can't go forward. I feel like I'm stuck Sou. What if I'm forever destined to be the guy who's only good qualities are that he knows his way around an ass and a pole."

Rin shoves his hands into his face and sobs a little louder than before.  
" Even if I try getting a job with the lack of qualifications I have, they'll see my face, my tattoos, just me in general and they'll turn me away. I just know it. My dad would be so fucking disappointed in me."

Sousuke sits there, stunned. How can someone that he thinks is so brilliant think of themselves as nothing.  
For what seems like forever, he can't think of anything to say. He puts his arm around Rin's shoulders and pulls him closer. He places his lips delicately onto Rin's hair.  
"You don't realise how much you are good at do you?"

Rin looks up at him, wide-eyed in shock.  
"What?"  
"you heard me. You're one of the best leaders I've ever seen. You're smart"  
"I'm really not" Rin interrupts  
"You are, trust me. How many people do you think could live through everything you did?"  
It's a rhetorical question but it gets Rin thinking.  
"You don't know as much about me as you think you do Sousuke. I've done, and seen a lot of terrible things just to be alive right now that you could never understand"  
"Then tell me, and I can try to"  
"Well, first thing I sold myself to strangers for 9 years just to have enough money to survive. I killed people to protect my friends. I lived on the streets for 3 years. I had my house blown up by your boss and lost my sister again. My mother..." he trails off "I can't let that shit go Sousuke. As much as I hate everything I've done, everything I've seen, it made me the mess of a person I am and it's the reason I can't go anywhere. Nobody can see past it, not even me."

"You're more than just your past Rin. You want Gou back right?"  
Rin nods  
"Well, you're almost done with online school, and from what I can see you're doing extremely well. I've said before, but You're one hell of a leader, maybe do something with that."  
"Like what Sousuke? People don't want to hire people like me."  
"Well I've noticed Samezuka is up for sale..."  
"No. I'm not restarting that, you know what the police said, everything would be tripled. I'm never going back to a life like that, Kaz and Naka died trying to get us out of it, I'm not doing it."

Sousuke let's out a laugh  
"What the.. Sou this is not a laughing matter"  
"Not like that Rin."  
"What the hell do you mean then?"  
"Samezuka is a bar right"  
"Well yeah but I don't see what you're getting at"  
"Why don't you buy it and make it what it used to be. If you owned it then you could employ people who can't get jobs because of their backgrounds like you. And you'd have a job and something to do. Hrm"  
"Like Rei and Nagisa with the old pool?"  
Sousuke nods.

Rin smiles a little  
"God Sou, you're a genius. I could kiss you right now. Actually, I'm going to kiss you right now."

Lips crash together and hands are dragged through black and maroon hair.

Rin pulls back first, quite suddenly  
"How am I going to get the money?"  
"Well I have a shit tonne that I don't spend on anything other than you and Echo" The Belgian Shepherd perks her head up and licks Sousuke's arm.  
"I can let you do that Sou. It's too much."  
"It's really not Rin. With all the shit that's gone down in there it's so cheap it's almost criminal. No pin intended"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Of course I'm sure. If it will help you then I'm more than willing to pay for it, even if it was more expensive."  
"God I fucking love you Yamazaki."  
"And I can't wait to marry you".  
Rin pats Echo on the head and stands up.  
"Rin"  
He looks back to Sousuke  
"You're so brilliant, don't ever forget that"  
Rin looks right into those teal eyes, tears welling up in his own "okay."


End file.
